The XXI International Materials Research Congress (IMRC) 2012, to be held on August 12–17, 2012 in Cancun, Mexico, is a joint meeting of the Sociedad Mexicana de Materiales (SMM) and the Materials Research Society (MRS). The Meeting Chairs are Orlando Auciello of Argonne National Laboratory, USA; Sandra Rodil Posada of the Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico; J. Gerardo Cabañas Moreno of the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico; and Francesco Stellacci of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; and the chair of the Congress is Sergio Mejia Rosales of Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Léon. The Congress will feature 27 symposia, some of which will be co-organized by SMM and MRS; oral and poster presentations; tutorials; and an equipment exhibition.
Among the plenary speakers are Nobel laureate Ada Yonath (Weizmann Institute Rehovot, Israel), presenting a lecture on “The ribosome: An energetic cellular nano machine”; Monica Olvera de la Cruz (UNAM), “Platonic and Archimedean geometries in elastic membranes”; Manish Chhowalla (Rutgers University, USA), “Solution processable two-dimensional materials for energy applications”; Carlos A. Paz de Araujo (University of Colorado, USA), “Materials science and device technology from laboratory to real world applications”; and Bao-Lian Su (University of Namur, Belgium), “Living hybrid materials for green energy production, environmental remediation and smart cell-therapy.” During a Science Luncheon, Luis F. Rodríguez (UNAM) will present a talk on “Radio astronomy: The achievements and the challenges.”
The list of symposia is as follows (*designates symposia co-organized by SMM and MRS).
Nano Science and Technology
1A: Low-Dimensional Bismuth-based Materials*
1B: Nanostructured Carbon Materials for MEMS/NEMS and Nanoelectronics*
1C: Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology
Materials Characterization
2A: The Role of Surfaces and Interfaces in Materials Processes*
2B: Novel Characterization Methods for Biological Systems*
2C: Quantitative Measurements with Atomic Force Microscopy in Fluids*
2D: Structural and Chemical Characterization of Metals, Alloys, and Compounds
Materials for Energy Production
3A: Materials for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells*
3B: Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Nanomaterials for Sustainable Energy*
3C: Photovoltaics, Solar Energy Materials, and Technologies
3D: New Catalytic Materials
3E: Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development
Biomaterials
4A: Nanotechnology-enhanced Biomaterials and Biomedical Devices*
4B: Biomaterials for Medical Applications
Polymers
5A: Soft Responsive Materials*
5B: New Trends in Polymer Chemistry and Characterization
Electronics and Photonics
6A: Organic Materials for Electronics and Photonics*
6B: Low-Dimensional Semiconductor Structures*
6C: Advances in Semiconducting Materials
6D: Materials and Devices for Large-Area Electronics*
Fundamental Materials Science
7A: Advances in Computational Materials Science
7B: Concrete with Smart Additives and Supplementary Cementitious Materials*
7C: NACE: Corrosion and Metallurgy
7D: Advanced Structural Materials
7E: Interfaces, Structure, and Domain Engineering in Ferroic Systems*
7F: Solid-State Chemistry of Functional Inorganic Materials*
General
8A: Strategies for Academy-Industry Relationship
For additional information on the Congress, access www.mrs-mexico.org.mx/imrc2012.